Summer 2011

We've really been enjoying the summer. Work usually slows down for me which makes things a little easier and more calm around here. Work has been nice, but we definitely stepped it up with activities, etc. Last week we had people over every night!

 Legos have been a huge thing around here. We ended up using them as motivation for potty training. Peter built this himself!

Matthew is actually quite good with them too. Look at the concentration!

 We kicked the summer off by installing artificial grass. My parents were gracious enough to help us afford it.

It has been a huge blessing! We love to spend time in our backyard now!

 Karen, Anna, and the kids came down for a visit while David was in Canada.

Peter and Nana hanging out

guy time

while we were at the beach, Matthew sat in this chair 90% of the time eating his fishies

 While the D Greggs were visiting, we went to the beach. When we arrived, Peter duly noted that there were flies EVERYWHERE. It was pretty gross and Peter freaked out big time. I guess all the kelp laying on the shore attracted the flies.

At one point, I looked over at the lifeguard tower and a layer of flies were just hovering underneath. Nastiness. Thankfully, they went away somewhat and we were able to enjoy ourselves.

burying Sophia

looking for flies?

Hanging with Hannah

Uncle Mike brought out the adult legos and Peter and Matthew were amazed!

taking family pictures is quite the process these days....

 We celebrated Father's Day with my family at Terranea one evening. It was really beautiful. I love it there!

Even though it is the middle of the summer, the boys like to put on their Halloween costumes from time to time.

It's a jungle out there

yum!

 Now that we have the backyard looking good, we like to play with our water table and kiddie pool. When the temperature is just right, we feast on Popsicles. Peter loves them, Matthew seems to keep getting brain freezes and gets a little frustrated. Either way, it is a fun time.

another attempt at a family photo

We had a really fun 4th of July. We went to the local city hall and enjoyed pony rides, funnel cake, and bouncy houses. 

Matthew surprised us by wanting to ride a pony. He lasted about 3 minutes.

Peter's pony's name was Jill. I think I was too nervous about Matthew to notice the name of his pony.

we will get a good one someday....

Matthew loves to pick oranges at Omi's house. Everytime we walk down the stairs to their front door, he whispers in my ear, "oranges, oranges, oranges."

One evening we had dinner with friends at the Beachcomber in Newport Beach. It was so beautiful down there. The food was great too! 

This was one of the weirdest visits to the beach I have ever had. We got there at 11 and it was drizzling. It was our last trip to the beach with the Spears, so I think Kelly and I were pretty determined to not back down.

shivering on the beach

 Then for 1 hour, and I really mean 1 HOUR, this guy played his flute. He may have attempted a variation of Hot Cross Buns at some point. We weren't sure. Here is a little sampling.

Matthew has fallen in love with the ocean. He loves to "catch" some waves. 

Around noon, the sun came out and then dolphins appeared. They were jumping out of the water and doing flips in the air. It was incredible. They were almost surfing the waves. One of our friends said the dolphins were saying goodbye to Kelly. I think she was right. :)

I'm glad the summer is not over yet, we still have so much more fun to have. This weekend Auntie Kristi is visiting and in August my sister and boyfriend will be visiting from the land of Oz. It will all be so much fun!